Teen killed in Brickell stabbing remembered as model student, a friend full of life
The teenage boy stabbed to death by a stranger in a luxury Brickell condo was a rising senior at Miami Beach High who aspired to attend the University of Florida and, one day, own a business, loved ones said in an online obituary.
“Dominic’s life was taken from us—stolen in a senseless, selfish act,” the obituary says. “Someone else’s carelessness and sickness ended the life of a young man full of dreams, energy, kindness, and so much promise. The loss is profound and impossible to understand.”
Dominic Ferrell, 17, was found early Sunday morning in a condo in Tower 3 of the Icon Residences, 485 Brickell Ave. He had been stabbed brutally with a kitchen knife while he was sleeping, according to a law enforcement source. The suspect, 26-year-old Kyrill Kehl, fell to his death at a neighboring building shortly after the murder. Police say it’s unclear whether the fall was intentional or accidental.
Dominic, the eldest of four siblings, was staying with his father at the Icon Residences when he was stabbed around 2:15 a.m., according to court documents. Dominic’s father was asleep in the condo with him.
Police suspect Kehl, who had arrived in Miami from Arizona a few days before, was mentally ill and randomly attacked Dominic. Kehl had entered the lobby, taken an elevator to the tower’s 47th floor and made his way to the 34th floor, where he came upon an unlocked door to the condo where Dominic and his father were sleeping.
READ MORE: Fatal stabbing at luxury Brickell high-rise appears to be random, police say
Dominic had just finished his junior year at Miami Beach Senior High School, where he participated in debate and was on the golf team. He had attended Immaculata-La Salle High School In Coconut Grove his freshman and sophomore years, and was an alumnus of the middle school at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School in Miami.
A few weeks before classes ended, Russell Rywell, the Beach High speech and debate teacher and coach, was impressed by how Dominic had taken the time to thoroughly prepare for a one-on-one debate about the middle class in the U.S. He told the Miami Herald that he was saddened to hear about Dominic’s tragic death, which he learned about while practicing with the school’s debate team for an upcoming national competition.
Dominic, Rywell said, was a model student. He was relatively quiet but always spoke intelligently and got along with his peers.
“He wasn’t the type of [student] to not care about schoolwork or to just slide by,” Rywell told the Herald. “...He always put in effort and had a good attitude.”
Rywell said he had hoped Dominic would compete with the school’s debate team next year, during his senior year.
“He had so much potential that won’t be realized,” Rywell said.
Dominic and his family moved to Miami about five years ago, records show. He was born in Fairfax, Virginia, and lived in Walnut Creek, California, before moving to South Florida. Dominic, the obituary says, initially struggled with the family’s move to Miami but began to appreciate the city and its culture.
‘Magnetic, joyful, mischievous’
“Miami helped him grow, giving him a deeper appreciation for diversity and a more global view of life,” the memorial page says. “He soaked it all in and made it his own creating more friendships. “
Dominic is remembered as a “magnetic, joyful, mischievous, and a loving kid,” a lover of animals and travel, according to the page. But he was also a confident, intelligent student who knew what he wanted from life. He was preparing to take the SAT to apply to college during his senior year.
“Dominic was magic — people were drawn to him,” the page says. “He was an old soul — respectful, thoughtful, and genuine. He would enter your home, shake your hand, look you in the eye, and ask how you were doing—and he truly meant it.”
Outside of school, Dominic worked at a restaurant as a waiter and started a dog-walking business, Dom’s Doggy Daycare, with one of his younger brothers, according to the obituary. Within his family, he was known as his siblings’ “protector, their cheerleader, their leader.”
“Dominic, your time with us was far too short, but the light you brought into our lives will never fade,” the page says. “You were taken from us, but we hold onto every memory, every smile, every laugh.”
A great friend
On the online memorial page, dozens of loved ones, including friends, teachers and classmates, shared memories and anecdotes — some captured in snapshots and videos — of Dominic.
Elementary school teacher Olivia Avila said she remembered how Dominic guided fellow students and brought laughter to a shared fourth- and fifth-grade classroom in California.
“Dominic is one of those students that you never forget — he had a personality that filled any room he walked into and a smile that spread joy to anyone he met,” Avila said in her post. “He was everything mentioned in this above, and somehow so so much more.”
Sofia Almeida, who attended middle school and high school with Dominic, said she grew close to Dominic because they were paired up for various school activities. Sofia shared a photo of a message Dominic had handwritten for her: “you have been a great friend.”
“He was a friend that brought laughter to every conversation,” Sofia’s post said “...Thank you for saying I have been a great friend…You were a great friend too. We will miss you dearly dominic.”
Mateo Caro said he met Dominic in seventh grade and was immediately taken by how Dominic focused on his future — and his dreams of starting a successful company. Dominic, Mateo added, wanted to teach him about the stock market.
“He always had the most confidence in whichever room he walked in too,” Mateo said in his post. “The type of person that would make a bad day into a good day. I never got the chance to say goodbye, which hurts me the most. You have a special place in my heart, it hurts to see you gone. I wish we could have just hung out one more Time. I love you so much. Rest in peace”
This story was originally published June 12, 2025 at 4:11 PM.
